


A Second Chance Well Given

by BroomballKraken



Category: Octopath Traveler (Video Game)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Gen, Spoilers for H'aanit's chapter 4 and beyond
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-07-08
Updated: 2019-07-08
Packaged: 2020-06-24 23:44:21
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 6,439
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/19734067
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/BroomballKraken/pseuds/BroomballKraken
Summary: H'aanit had resolved to kill the monstrous Redeye as soon as she saw what it had done to her master. So why, when the moment she had been waiting for has finally come, was she hesitating?





	A Second Chance Well Given

**Author's Note:**

  * For [Caitsidhe](https://archiveofourown.org/users/Caitsidhe/gifts).



> YO SO, the moment I saw this pop up in the exchange request list, I was crossing my fingers and hoping that I'd get assigned to it. And gosh this was really fun to write!!! Kudos Caitsidhe, for the brilliant request! I really hope you like it! <3

H’aanit had resolved to kill the monstrous Redeye as soon as she saw what it had done to her master. Throughout her whole journey across Orsterra, she had been eager for the moment to come when she would drive her axe into its neck, ridding the world of its terror and freeing those that it had petrified in its path of destruction. Nothing, absolutely nothing, could have swayed her from her chosen path.

So why, when the moment she had been waiting for has finally come, was she hesitating?

Panting heavily, H’aanit stood over the grotesque, severely injured form of Redeye. It was lying on its side, too weak to stand, with many bleeding wounds scattered over its body. Ragged breaths were being pulled in and out of its gaping maw, and its ghastly crimson eyes bore into her, waiting for that final axe blow to fall and end its life.

Gritting her teeth, H’aanit lifted her axe above her head, right over Redeye’s neck, but when she wanted to bring it down, she found that her arms would not respond. Why couldn’t she do it? After all of the pain it had caused her? After all of the death and destruction it left in its wake? It should have been the easiest thing in the world.

H’aanit’s arms began to shake as she continued to hold her axe above her head. Her gaze locked with Redeye’s. In those deep red eyes, she saw many things: regret, pain, suffering, a death wish. A feeling welled up inside of H’aanit, something that she would have never thought that she would feel for this abomination, this... _monster_ : pity.

Linde suddenly started purring at H’aanit’s side. The huntress glanced down at her stalwart partner, who was staring at Redeye, her head tilted curiously. Linde then moved to stand in front of the monster’s head.

“Linde, what ist thou doing?” H’aanit asked, fear evident in her voice as it cracked. Her grip tightened on her axe. If Redeye made even one move to harm her feline companion, not even the gods themselves could keep her from slaying it.

Linde ignored H’aanit and moved closer to Redeye’s face. The beast recoiled slightly, letting out a weak wail that made H’aanit shiver involuntarily. That sound was so...unnerving. Very obviously inhuman, but still, it was dangerously close to resembling something human. H’aanit didn’t know what to think of that.

To H’aanit’s surprise, Linde began purring loudly and she pressed her face against Redeye’s, nuzzling it like she would H’aanit or another friendly person or animal. Redeye flinched and whined as it leaned away, but Linde persisted and continued rubbing herself against the beast. Redeye soon stopped its whining and just stared at Linde, its eyes locked onto the snow leopard.

H’aanit hesitated for a moment, but she let out the breath she had been holding and slowly lowered her axe, her eyes not leaving Redeye, just in case it decided to try and attack. Linde meowed and stopped her rubbing, and she sat back on her haunches, her tail swishing back and forth behind her.

“Thou...wanteth me to sparen it, Linde?” H’aanit asked, her eyes widening with surprise when Linde meowed happily and licked at her paw. H’aanit was amazed that Linde was so calm, especially after she had assisted H’aanit in defeating the beast just minutes earlier. H’aanit chewed at her bottom lip, still unsure if this would be a wise course of action, but she ultimately decided that it was worth a shot.

H’aanit took in a deep breath and let it out slowly, before moving to stand in front of Redeye, and next to Linde. Redeye’s gaze shifted to her, and something new appeared deep within those deep crimson eyes: hope. Her mouth almost twitched into a smile, but she succeeded in keeping her facial expression as neutral as possible.

“It seemeth that thou hast earned a second chance from my partner here.” H’aanit said, and Redeye watched her silently, bar the ragged breaths coming from its gaping maw. “Thou hast hurten many people. Killed many people. Most woulde not hath given a second thought to slaying thee.” She had once thought that she would have been one of those people. Redeye let out a guttural grumble as it averted its gaze, looking surprisingly guilty.

“If thou ist to repent, then thou must release all of the victims of petrification.” H’aanit said, glancing behind her at the Marsalim soldiers that were still trapped in their stone prisons. “And thou must comen with me. Thou ist too dangerous to be left to thine own devices.” H’aanit watched silently as Redeye hummed as it stared at her, and she could feel the vibrations through the ground with her feet. After a few moments, Redeye’s eyes closed and it lowered its head submissively. H’aanit hesitated a moment, before she slowly reached out and placed her hand on Redeye’s head. It hummed again, deeper this time, and the sound almost resembled Linde’s purring. How...weird.

“Redeye,” H’aanit said, “Release those that thou hast petrified.” Redeye grunted as it looked over at the Marsalim guards that were still trapped in their stone prisons. A red glow suddenly appeared over Redeye’s body, and the guards were returned to their normal, flesh and blood selves. H’aanit left her companions to deal with them, and she kept her attention on Redeye.

“Thanke thee. I am glad that thou ist being agreeable.” H’aanit said, and Redeye whined and its head suddenly fell to the ground, its eyes squeezing shut as a pained look crossed its face. Ah, right, H’aanit had forgotten about Redeye’s wounds. She pulled out a jar of healing salve that Alfyn had passed out to the group before the fight. H’aanit didn’t think she would have ended up using it on the very beast that she had come to slay. Linde kept Redeye distracted by rubbing against it and licking its face, while H’aanit patched up its wounds.

“Theren, that shoulde do it.” H’aanit said when she wrapped up the last wound. Redeye let out a deep sigh and pushed itself awkwardly to its feet, its gangly limbs seemingly too long for its body. H’aanit tensed, her hand quickly moving to grip the handle of her axe, but Redeye just looked at her, its eyes shining brightly. It already looked like it was feeling better. H’aanit made a mental note to ask Alfyn for more of that miracle salve.

“Can thee walke?” H’aanit asked, and Redeye took a few shaky steps towards her, but its gait soon evened out. Redeye stared at H’aanit with wide eyes, almost as if it was seeking her...praise?

“Err, thou ist doing well?” H’aanit said, and Redeye let out a pleased growl deep in its throat. This was going to take a lot of getting used to…

“Well, letten us be rid of this dank cave.” H’aanit said as she turned to return to her companions. Linde walked at her side, while Redeye rumbled along behind her, each of its steps causing the ground to shake. H’aanit sighed and started to mentally formulate a plan to explain all of this to her traveling friends. She had a feeling that training Redeye was going to prove to be an interesting endeavor.

*

“...Aren you absolutely sure about this, my prentice?”

“Foren the fifth time, yes.”

H’aanit sighed and rolled her eyes as Z’aanta raised an unconvinced eyebrow at her. She had managed to make it back to Stoneguard, with her newly acquired eldritch abomination in tow, luckily without causing much of a fuss. That is, until she finally reunited with her master.

After running up to save an unfortunate couple from a giant tiger, she ended up watching Z’aanta do the saving instead. As soon as he took one look at the lumbering black and red mass that followed his apprentice, he trained his bow onto Redeye with a murderous snarl. Redeye’s immediate reaction to this hostile action was to petrify Z’aanta...again. H’aanit had made a mental note to work on breaking that knee-jerk reaction first thing when she started Redeye’s actual training.

After receiving a heated scolding from H’aanit, Redeye quickly reversed the petrification, and H’aanit managed to explain the situation to her master before he could try and kill it again. Z’aanta wasn’t exactly keen on the idea, but H’aanit had expected that. Surprisingly, Hagen had not put up much of a fuss, though that was probably due to the fact that Linde immediately approached him, calm and purring, letting him know that Redeye posed no threat to anyone anymore. Well, at least when it wasn’t being threatened with an arrow to the face.

“H’aanit, thou ist a great hunter and tamer of beasts, but aren thou sure that this particular beast is redeemable?” Z’aanta asked, his wary eyes darting back and forth between H’aanit and Redeye. Redeye was currently cowering behind H’aanit, its face pressed against its crossed arms, hidden from view. Linde moved from Hagen’s side and approached Redeye. She purred and rubbed up against its side, until it finally lifted its head back up. Linde meowed happily and licked Redeye’s face, causing it to blink slowly and tilt its head curiously. It then reached out with a shaky hand and lightly brushed the top of Linde’s head with its long black fingers. H’aanit smiled at the sight, and turned to find Z’aanta’s eyes wide and jaw hanging open.

“Gods above. H’aanit, ist thou certain that I am not still petrified? Or hath fallen into a deep slumber? This ist just too bizarreth to be real.”

“I knowen ‘tis hard to believe,” H’aanit said as she reached over and placed her hand on Redeye’s head. “But I saw many things in its eyes when I almost brought my axe down to endeth its life. Regret, pain, suffering. I thinke it wanted me to killen it. But...I coulde not. Linde also wanted me to sparen it. I think I am ready for the challenge.” Linde meowed at the mention of her name, and Z’aanta just sighed and shook his head.

“My prentice...thou hast always been a stubborn one.” he said, and he barked out a hearty laugh when H’aanit glowered at him. “But, thou ist also the most talented hunter to ever come out of S’warkii. If thou ist truly serious about this, then you haven my blessing.”

“Thanke thee, master.” H’aanit said. She looked at Redeye and she gently scratched its head. Redeye let out a pleased hum, and before H’aanit could react, Redeye stuck out its jet black tongue and raked it over H’aanit’s entire face.

“Ack!” H’aanit exclaimed, her hands flying to her face once Redeye pulled away. Z’aanta’s laughter hit her ears as she frantically wiped the slobber away. She turned to glare at Redeye, but her gaze softened when she saw the delighted glint in its eyes. Its jaw hung open, and its lips were curved slightly upwards, as if it was trying to smile. How odd.

“My girl! It seemeth that thou hast thine work cut out for thee.” Z’aanta said, laughing again as he reached out and ruffled H’aanit’s hair. She rolled her eyes and leaned away from him.

“I wilst makest thee eaten those words, master. I wilst traineth this beast.”

“Ah, I doest not doubeth that. I wilst enjoy watching thee struggle with it, though.”

“Watchen it.” H’aanit said, a smile on her face as master and prentice fell into familiar banter. It would take a lot of time and hard work, but H’aanit was confident that she would be able to turn Redeye into a tame creature that could live peacefully among humans. It would be the perfect test of her skills as a tamer of beasts.

*

“...Whaten in Draefendi’s name is that?”

“I swearen, those hunters’ll tame anything that breathes. No matter how monstrous it looks.”

“Er, but doesn’t thou thinken that this ist a bit...extreme?”

“‘Tis their problem, leaven it be.”

The residents of S’warkii continued to talk among themselves, mostly about the lumbering black mass that was Redeye. H’aanit ignored the background chatter, and continued on her way through the semi-crowded streets, as Linde and Redeye followed close behind. The huntress was not worried about Redeye causing much of a stir in her home. The people of the Woodlands were accustomed to seeing many a beast being led through the towns after being tamed by a skilled hunter. Although, none of the beasts that they had seen were quite as ghastly as Redeye. H’aanit wasn’t surprised that many people were stopping to gawk at it as they passed.

H’aanit had also managed to work in some obedience training during the trip back home from Stoneguard. Z’aanta had helped out a little, but left the brunt of the work to her. Redeye seemed to understand ‘no’ and ‘good job’ now. H’aanit found herself telling it ‘no’ far too often, but this was still a work in progress. She knew that it would take time for Redeye to be fully trained.

“Hmm, I thinke I wilst haven to build a small barn or something in the backyard foren Redeye to sleep in…” H’aanit mumbled to herself, but she was pulled away from her planning when Linde grabbed her arm with her mouth and yanked on it hard.

“Linde, what-” an irritated H’aanit started, but the words caught in her throat when a shout hit her ears, and she looked over to see what had caused it.

“Beast! Whaten ist thee doing?!” an angry meat merchant exclaimed. Redeye had wandered over to his stall, where he had various cuts of meat, and even some full animal carcasses, on display. Redeye ignored the man’s shouting and its tongue shot out, wrapping around one of the carcasses and pulling it into its glowing maw. H’aanit’s eyes widened as she ran over to Redeye’s side.

“Redeye, no!” she said, cursing as she stepped between Redeye and the merchant, who looked ready to try and lob off Redeye’s head with a meat cleaver. Redeye turned its head to look at H’aanit, half of the carcass sticking out of its mouth. It whined as H’aanit glared at it, and its jaw dropped, the carcass falling to the ground with a wet ‘plop’. H’aanit’s face scrunched up with disgust and she sighed, fishing her money bag out of her pocket.

“I apologize foren its behavior. Wilst this coveren the carcass?” H’aanit asked, dropping a generous amount of leaves into the merchant’s hand.

“Aye. Keepen a better eye on this one. ‘Tis a natural trouble maker, it seems.” the man said as he pocketed the money. H’aanit nodded and turned back to Redeye, whose head was hung dejectedly, but its eyes kept darting back to the carcass on the ground.

“Thou can eaten it, but muste not stealen from others again.” H’aanit said, crossing her arms over her chest. Redeye immediately perked up and hummed happily as it gobbled up the carcass in one bite. Gods, it was like looking after a puppy. A huge, demonic, eldritch horror of a puppy.

“Stayeth close to me from nowen on.” H’aanit said as she turned away from the merchant’s stall, and Redeye obediently followed, with Linde bringing up the rear this time. H’aanit would have to keep a closer eye on her beastly charge. She certainly didn’t want to make enemies of the entire godsdamn town.

“Oh wow, whaten ist that?!”

Suddenly, a child ran up to Redeye, her eyes shining with excitement and curiosity. Redeye shied away at first, seeming to not know what to think of the small human bouncing excitedly in front of it. It exhaled through its nostrils, the force of the air making a mess of the girl’s hair, and she giggled.

“Be careful, child. This beast ist not quite tame yet.” H’aanit said warily as she stepped closer to Redeye, ready to intervene if this encounter took a turn for the worst. The girl nodded, standing on the tips of her toes as she reached up to pet Redeye’s head. Humming contently, Redeye leaned forward to nuzzle the girl, but it used too much force and ended up knocking the child to the ground. The girl blinked a few times, before she sniffed and started quietly crying.

“Redeye! Be gentle!” H’aanit said, moving to go and help the child up. She paused, however, when Redeye immediately lowered its head to the ground and whined. The girl sniffed and looked up at it, tears still flowing down her face. Very slowly, Redeye lifted a hesitant finger up to the girls face, and gently started wiping away her tears. The girl stared at Redeye with wide eyes, and her crying stopped as suddenly as it had started. Redeye lowered its hand once the girl’s tears were gone, and it leaned its face in as close to her as it could without touching her. She giggled and wrapped her arms around Redeye’s head, and it slowly lifted her back up onto her feet.

“Hehe! You’ren a nice beasty! I liken you!” the girl said, giggling as she hugged Redeye. A guttural rumbling came from the back of Redeye’s throat, and it reached up slowly and wrapped it’s gangly hands around the girl. H’aanit was stunned into silence, and she noted that Redeye was being incredibly gentle with this girl. It was...surprising, to say the least. Redeye was very quick to adapt and fix its mistakes, and H’aanit was grateful for that.

“‘Tis time to go, Redeye.” H’aanit finally said. The girl pouted when Redeye obediently released its hold on her. H’aanit chuckled at that. “I wilst be training Redeye to be comfortable with crowds. You wilst surely see it again.” The girl’s face immediately brightened up and she nodded.

“Yay! I can’t wait! Seeth you later!” she said, and she ran off, disappearing down the crowded street. H’aanit turned to see that Redeye was watching the girl run off, its eyes bright and wide, and the ground was shaking slightly from the pleased hum that Redeye was producing.

“T’was most impressive, Redeye. Good job.” H’aanit said. Redeye turned to look at her and it let out a pleased whine. It then slammed its face into H’aanit to nuzzle her, and she grunted as the wind was knocked out of her.

“We...We wilst haven to worken on the gentleness a bit…” H’aanit mumbled as she tried to catch her breath. Linde purred happily next to them, and she joined the session of affection as she rubbed against H’aanit’s legs and then Redeye’s head. H’aanit chuckled as they headed home, and she couldn’t help but feel a swell of pride at the progress that Redeye was already making. Maybe domesticating Redeye wasn’t as impossible as she first realized. The thought made her happy, and she would keep working hard, for Redeye’s sake.

*

The Woodlands rarely saw a thunderstorm, and unlike her fellow villagers, H’aanit was glad when the rumbling thunder and beautiful lightning graced her with their presence. She always seemed to sleep more soundly those nights, with the pouring rain hitting her roof in a steady rhythm. Tonight was no different.

However, what was different was the moment when she was jolted awake as something wet and scratchy scraped across her face. H’aanit shot up into a sitting position, blinking rapidly until her eyes adjusted to the darkness. She turned to see Linde standing next to her bed, her golden eyes seeming to shine in the dark room.

“Whaten is it, Linde?” H’aanit asked, a frown crossing her face. If Linde was interrupting her sleep, then something serious must be going on. Linde growled and grabbed H’aanit by the arm, tugging on it until she got out of bed. The snow leopard then turned and walked towards the door, looking back when she paused in the threshold.

“I wilst comen. Letten me get a cloak on…” H’aanit said, and when she was dressed to repel the rain, she followed Linde out of her bedroom and to the back door of her house. H’aanit stepped out into the storm after her feline partner, and she quickly followed her to the large barn across the backyard, where Redeye was supposed to be sleeping. It had been a large task, building that structure, but with Z’aanta’s help, it was up in no time, and Redeye had seemed pleased to have a place of its own to sleep in.

“Redeye?” H’aanit said when she pushed open the barn door. She was slightly worried; Linde had never woken her up at night like this since they had acquired their new beastly companion, so something was obviously wrong. H’aanit grabbed the lantern by the door and lit it, illuminating the large form of Redeye.

Redeye whined, a piercing, high-pitched sound, and H’aanit noticed that its head was pressed into the back corner of the room, and its arms were wrapped around itself. She approached slowly and saw that it was shaking quite violently.

“Redeye?” H’aanit said again when she was closer to its front. Redeye flinched as it slowly uncovered its head, turning to meet her gaze. It had a look of absolute panic on its face, and H’aanit was rendered speechless. She also noticed trails of moisture running down its cheeks. Was it...crying? She didn’t know that Redeye could even do that.

“Easy.” H’aanit said, and she slowly reached out and placed her hand on its head. Redeye whined again, its shaking lessening slightly, until a loud crack of thunder shattered through the pleasant sounds of the rain. Redeye let out a screech as it jumped a foot into the air, and it wailed as it shoved its face into the corner again, its fingers digging into the floorboards.

“Ist thou...scared of the storm?” H’aanit asked, placing her hand on Redeye’s head again as she crouched down next to it. It just whined in response, turning slightly to glance at H’aanit out of the corner of its eye. She stared at it for a moment, before sighing and shaking her head.

“Thou ist an unholy abomination, but ist frightened of a bit of thunder? Nothing can surpriseth me anymore.” H’aanit mumbled to herself. She slowly pet Redeye’s head until it turned around to face her again.

“The storm wilst not hurten thee. Goeth to sleep.” H’aanit said, and she turned to go back to the door and head to bed herself. A loud whine filled the room, and she sighed and turned back around, finding Redeye’s chin pressed to the floor, its eyes wide and pleading as fresh tears fell down its face.

“No.” H’aanit said, and Redeye’s whines only got louder. Linde purred and walked over to Redeye, licking the tears from its face before she curled up on the floor next to it. Linde then looked at H’aanit, her head tilted and eyes soft, and H’aanit knew that she was fighting a losing battle.

“...Fine, but just foren tonight. Thou better not getten used to this.” H’aanit grumbled as she walked back over to Redeye. It perked up immediately and let out a pleased growl as it settled down on the huge, soft bed that H’aanit had made for it. She sat down and propped up against Redeye’s side, using her cloak as a blanket. Redeye hummed contently as it curled around H’aanit, its face pressed against her side, and its gangly arms wrapped around her.

H’aanit never in a million years thought that she’d be spending the night consoling a terrified Redeye during a measly thunderstorm, but she was doing just that. Every now and then, thunder would rumble through the air, and H’aanit had to pet a whimpering Redeye to calm it down. She didn’t get nearly enough sleep that night, but she hardly cared. There was never a dull moment with this abomination that she had adopted, and H’aanit wouldn’t change a damn thing.

*

A few months had flown by after H’aanit had brought Redeye back to S’warkii, and H’aanit was thoroughly impressed with its training progress. She could now take Redeye through the village without having to worry about it causing trouble by stealing from merchants or bothering her fellow villagers. H’aanit was proud of Redeye, and herself as well.

When she had been approached with a hunting job that would require a bit of traveling, she decided to take Redeye along on the journey. It had always seemed sad to see her go on her shorter trips, so H’aanit decided that this time she wouldn’t leave it behind. Besides, even if he didn’t say it, she knew that Z’aanta was getting tired of having to babysit her pet abomination every time she left home. They had set off for the Highlands, and it should have proven to be an uneventful sojourn.

However, H’aanit had not anticipated coming down with a terrible sickness on this journey.

A groan of discomfort escaped from between H’aanit’s quivering lips, and she shivered violently as she squeezed her eyes shut. She had woken up in her Riverlands camp this morning in a cold sweat and with a terrible fever. She rarely got sick in the first place, so coming down with something while on the road was a particularly terrible stroke of bad luck.

H’aanit took a few deep breaths and lifted a shaky hand up to her forehead; she was still burning up. Her hand dropped back to her side, and she tried to open her eyes. Her eyelids felt heavy, as if they were made of lead, so she could only open them a smidge, and everything was very blurry. She felt around with her hand, and was relieved when her fingers found the soft fur of Linde. H’aanit heard the snow leopard mewl sadly and felt her scratchy tongue scrape against her hand.

“L-Linde…” H’aanit said weakly, another shiver coursing through her body. Gods, this was not good. She could hardly move, let alone search for any plants or herbs that would help drive away her sickness. She desperately needed to find a way to get better, and fast.

H’aanit also had no idea where Redeye was. She had fallen in and out of consciousness a few times now, and she hadn’t heard a thing from it any of the times that she was awake, including now.

“Linde...wheren is...Redeye?” H’aanit whispered, and Linde just purred and H’aanit felt the snow leopard’s head come to rest on her stomach. Well, if Linde wasn’t worried, then H’aanit did not feel the need to be either. She let out a shaky sigh as a wave of dizziness clouded her head, and she slipped out of consciousness once more.

Some time later, H’aanit drifted awake, grunting as she tried to open her eyes again, but to no avail. She certainly did not feel any better. Damn it all.

A scraping noise hit her ears, and she stiffened, the urge to fight or run away welling up inside of her, but her current state of health prevented her from doing much about it. H’aanit felt Linde shift against her stomach, and she purred soothingly, causing H’aanit to calm back down. What was making that noise?

A familiar guttural growl hit H’aanit’s ears, and she felt a cold and wet cloth fall onto her forehead. H’aanit sighed with relief; it felt nice on her overheating head.

“R-Redeye?” H’aanit said weakly. She heard it growl in response, and she felt something poke her cheek. She shifted uncomfortably, and her mouth hung open as whatever was touching her did not let up. She then felt something being pushed into her mouth. H’aanit froze and moved to turn away, but she felt Linde lick her other cheek, and H’aanit relaxed and gave in. Whatever was in her mouth tasted like a bitter paste, and she cringed, but managed to swallow it all. Was this...medicine? Something else was held up to her lips, and H’aanit ended up chasing the medicine with cold water, which tasted like heaven to the sickly huntress.

Redeye’s pleased humming filled the air, and H’aanit felt herself being tucked back into her blankets securely. She sighed and squeezed her eyes tightly shut, lulled back to sleep by the feeling of Redeye’s fingers brushing through her hair.

H’aanit didn’t know how long she had been out, but when she woke up this time, she could finally open her eyes fully, much to her relief. She felt much, much better, and luckily her fever seemed to have finally passed. H’aanit sat up and stretched her sore arms as she took a look around.

Linde was curled up right next to H’aanit, her body rising and falling with each breath she took as she slept peacefully. Redeye was pacing around the clearing that they were camped in, and it did not seem to notice that she had awakened.

A few odd things caught H’aanit’s eye. First, a few animal carcasses were strewn about the clearing, probably meals for Linde and Redeye while she had been waylaid and couldn’t hunt. But among those carcasses, there were a few beastly looking monsters that had been turned to stone, obviously by Redeye’s petrifying gaze. H’aanit’s eyes narrowed thoughtfully. Did those beasts try to attack her in her incapacitated state? If so, then Redeye had protected her valiantly. H’aanit cracked a smile at that.

Second, a large rock sat in the middle of the clearing, and H’aanit was sure that it wasn’t there before. A smaller one sat next to it, along with a pile of various plants and flowers. The rocks had splotches on them that were the same colors as the plants. H’aanit blinked, confused. What a curious site. It reminded her of something, but of what she could not recall…

A loud bellow hit her ears; it seemed that Redeye had finally noticed that H’aanit had awoken. It barreled across the clearing to her side, whining as it poked her forehead with a long finger. The ruckus had woken Linde up, and she purred happily as she licked H’aanit’s face.

“Good morning, you two.” H’aanit said, petting both of their heads. “I apologize foren being incapacitated for so long. Thou art loyal companions, both of thee.” Linde purred and nuzzled H’aanit, while Redeye hummed and lumbered off in the direction of the two rocks. H’aanit tilted her head curiously as she watched it. It came back with one of the bowls from her pack, and it held it out to her. Inside, there was a green paste, and H’aanit, took the bowl, lifting it to her face so that she could smell the contents.

“Did...Did thou feeden me this, Redeye?” H’aanit asked, her eyes wide as it nodded. The green goop smelled just like the bitter paste that she faintly remembered consuming. She had thought that it might have been a dream, but that was apparently not the case. H’aanit looked at the bowl, and then back at the two rocks, and a sudden realization hit her.

H’aanit recalled a time back when she was journeying to find her master after he had disappeared to hunt Redeye. H’aanit had woken up early one morning, to find Alfyn already up and making medicine, using a mortar and pestle to smash up the flowers and herbs to make healing salves and other useful tinctures.

“Redeye...did thou maken me medicine?” H’aanit asked, turning to stare at Redeye, her jaw dropping with shock. Redeye hummed and leaned over to nuzzle its face against hers. How was this possible? Redeye was just a beast. It shouldn’t know anything about making medicine. This was...perplexing to say the least. Nevertheless, Redeye did manage to cure her of her sickness, and for that she was very grateful.

“I thanke thee, Redeye. ‘Tis a remarkable thing thou did.” H’aanit said, wrapping her arms around its head in a gentle hug. Redeye growled and wrapped its long arms around her in return. H’aanit pulled away after a moment, and she was able to lift her arms up in time to shield her face from being licked by Redeye’s large, slobbery tongue.

“Ugh, I hath toldeth thee beforen to not aimen for my face.” H’aanit said, sighing as she wiped her arms on her shirt. Redeye blinked at her, tilting its head, and H’aanit chuckled and shook her head.

“Anyway, letten us pack up and be rid of this place. We hath lost enough time.” H’aanit said, and soon the camp was packed up and the odd trio was back on the road. H’aanit pushed the curious behavior of Redeye to the back of her mind for now, as she needed to focus on the hunt.

*

After traversing through the sweltering Sunlands, H’aanit had finally made it to the Highlands. She was relieved, for she certainly preferred the cooler weather on the high mountains, as opposed to the unbearable heat of the sands.

“Come Linde, Redeye. We’ren almost there.” H’aanit said, looking back to check on her companions. Linde meowed as she trotted up to H’aanit’s side, while Redeye hummed and suddenly sat down in the middle of the road.

“Whaten is it?” H’aanit asked, raising an eyebrow at the beast. Suddenly, a low rumbling sound filled the air, and H’aanit chuckled.

“Thou ist hungry?”

H’aanit laughed when Redeye nodded enthusiastically, and she looked around at her surroundings. She spotted a small cave not too far from the road, so she headed there, and set up a small camp.

“Stayeth here, I wilst go foren a quick hunt.” H’aanit said, and Linde curled up on the ground, and Redeye followed suit. Grabbing her bow, H’aanit left the cave and headed to the other side of the road, where a group of trees signified the entrance to a forest. She disappeared from the site of the cave, but she wasn’t worried. Linde and Redeye could take care of themselves.

H’aanit was in the middle of surveying the surrounding trees, when the sound of a twig snapping echoed throughout the forest. H’aanit whipped out her bow just in time to witness a dozen men emerge from the trees, all of them armed to the teeth. Bandits. Damn.

“Oi, look what we have here, lads. Are you lost, woman?” one of them sneered as he stepped forward, brandishing a large battle axe. H’aanit assumed he was the leader, and she clenched her jaw as she tightened the grip on her bow.

“I wouldn’t get any funny ideas in your head, lass. You are very, very outnumbered.” the leader said, chuckling darkly. A few of the other men laughed as well, and they moved closer to H’aanit, tightening the circle around her. Sweat beaded on her forehead; this was not a good situation to be in.

“We’ll get straight to the point. You hand over all of your valuables, and we'll make sure you walk away from this little meeting unharmed.” the leader said, holding his hand out towards her. H’aanit scoffed at him and whipped her bow up, pointing an arrow straight at the man’s face. The rest of the men tensed and readied their weapons.

“Thou wilst haven to taketh them from me.” H’aanit growled, her eyes narrowed into a death glare. The leader laughed and shook his head, tightening the grip on his axe.

“Wrong answer, lass. Men, get her-” the man started, but he was interrupted by a terrifying, guttural roar. The group of men all turned towards the sound, but H’aanit knew better, and she instead covered her eyes with her hands. She heard the rumbling footsteps of something large running in her direction, and the men screamed in horror, before suddenly being cut off. Silence followed, and H’aanit slowly lowered her hands from her face.

Redeye stood before her, its eyes blazing with fury. The men surrounding H’aanit were frozen where they stood, turned to stone by its petrifying gaze. Linde was standing next to Redeye, and she meowed and bound up to H’aanit, rubbing against her legs. H’aanit breathed a sigh of relief as she pet Linde’s head, before walking up to Redeye, who hummed and lowered its head as she approached.

“Thou hast saved me again. Thanke thee, Redeye.” H’aanit said, petting its head. Redeye hummed contently, before glancing back at the frozen group of men and growling angrily.

“Methinks they hath learned their lesson. Releaseth them.” H’aanit said. Redeye whined and looked from H’aanit to the men a few times, seeming conflicted.

“Thou can petrify them again if they decide not to playeth nice.” she said. Redeye hummed and did nothing for a few moments, before it started glowing red and the men suddenly returned to their normal selves.

“W-What in the hells?” the leader of the bandits said, stumbling as he recovered from his stone state. He glared at H’aanit, but then took one look at Redeye, who hissed angrily, and he let out a terrified shriek. He dropped his weapon and ran off into the forest, and the rest of his men did the same.

“Thou best given up thine thieving ways, or we whilst findeth thee!” H’aanit yelled after them, and Redeye let out a loud roar to further drive the point home. She chuckled and hugged Redeye, who happily reciprocated.

“Good job, Redeye. Thou hast proven thyself to be a stalwart companion. I am grateful that Linde convinced me to sparen thee on that fateful day in Marsalim.” H’aanit said. Redeye hummed happily and nuzzled H’aanit, while Linde meowed and nuzzled Redeye.

“We maken quite the odd team, don’t we?” H’aanit mused, an amused laugh slipping out at the ridiculousness of it all. A huntress, a snow leopard, and an unholy abomination. What a wild site they must be.

“Letten us moven on. I doest not wanten to stayeth around if those cretins return.” H’aanit said. Redeye growled and suddenly grabbed H’aanit with both hands.

“Redeye! What-” H’aanit exclaimed, yelping as Redeye lifted her off of the ground and placed her onto its back. H’aanit quickly gripped its neck when it released her, and Redeye turned its head to look at her, something resembling adoration shimmering in its eyes.

“...Thou wilst never cease to surpriseth me, Redeye.” H’aanit said, chuckling as Redeye hummed and turned to head back to the road. Linde meowed and walked along beside them. The trio ventured on, ready to face whatever new challenges awaited them, and H’aanit really was eternally grateful that she gave Redeye a second chance at life.


End file.
